Vlog #19 // Single Arm BB Row and Sticking point

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-Ups excluded

Wide NG Pullups- 2x12 / 1x10(+45) / 1x8(+45) / 1x10
Single Arm BB Row- 4x8
NG Pulldown- 4x8
Hammerstrength Pullover- 4x8

-Luke

Vlog #18 // #OUTWORK

Also, here is a clip from my peak set of deadlifts on Wednesday.

Had a great one and here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

BB Pause squats( 1-2 sec at bottom) - 2x12@315 / 2x8@405 / 1x12@315
Cybex Narrow Leg press- 4x10
BB Walking lunges- 3x10@225 / 2x20@135
Leg extension- 3x12 / 2x10(1-2 sec Pause at top)

-Luke

Vlog #16 // Progress and Posing

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 4x8 / 1x10 (TUT)
RG T-Bar row- 4x8
Freemotion High Row- 4x8
Stiff Arm Pulldowns- 3x10

-Luke

Time to own 2012!

This past year I feel that I have evolved in may areas in and out of the gym.  I have placed an emphasis to think outside of the box, enjoy all aspects of my training and most importantly I am rolling into my contest prep healthy and hungry.  I would also like to thank everyone for all their help and support this past year.  It has been an amazing journey that just keeps getting better each and every day and this is one reason I love what I do so much.  With this I wanted to post a few training highlights from my 2011 offseason as a base for self improvement next year.

Now that 2011 has come and gone, it is time to press forward into 2012 with one huge goal on my mind....to improve and have fun!

Had a great one and here's how it went...

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups- 3x15 / 2x10 (Pause at bottom)
Chambered BB Row- 3x10@315 / 1x15@
Reverse NG Pulldown- 4x10
Hammerstrength Pullover- 4x10

Hanging leg raise- 4x10
Cable Crunch- 4x10

-Luke

Vlog #13 // Controlled Labs Gold Feast

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Narrow Stance Low pin Rack Deads- 3x8@545
Leg curls- 4x10
Reverse Hypers- 4x10
Glute Kickbacks- 3x10
Abductor- 3x20
Aductor- 3x20

-Luke

#BEASTMODE

Since the first of the year is almost here and we are about to see a huge influx of new members at every gym across the USA.  This is a great time to buckle down, focus on your goals and mentally prepare for the large crowd that is ahead in January.  Always remember that at one point you were a beginner too and may have been more nervous than you remember at the start of this new adventure.  Keep the intensity high and be aware of your surroundings, just because you are in Beastmode doesn't mean you have to disrespect others or make a mess.  Take the frustration out on the weights!!

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

Also, I was able to meet up with Ty this past weekend for a great back workout.....It's been too long!!

*Warm-ups excluded

Mid Shin Rack Deads- 4x8@585
Leg curls- 4x10
Glute Kickback- 3x10
Abductor- 3x20
Aductor- 3x20

-Luke

Vlog #12 // 2012 IFPA Pro USA Roll Call

*Warm-ups excluded

Smithmachine Squats- 3x12@405 / 1x12@315
Leg Press- 4x10
Lunges -4x8
Leg Extensions- 4x10

-Luke

Vlog #7 // Lifting split

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 1x8 / 3x10
T-Bar Row (+70lbs of chains)- 3x10
Narrow RG Pulldowns- 4x8
Stiffarm Pulldowns(Fat Grips)- 4x10

Machine Crunch- 4x10
Cable Crunch- 4x10

-Luke

The only constant is change - Heraclitus

These past few weeks I have really been placing an emphasis on the use of chains, bands and different grips in my routine.  I feel that this constant change is really helping me keep my progress pressing forward as I make the transition into prep soon.  It is also helping me keep things interesting each and every day as I enter the gym, which I feel is a huge factor in keeping your intensity and desire to improve.

Had a great one today and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Hybrid Sumo Deadlifts- 3x6@495(+70lbs of chains)
Seated leg curls- 4x10
Abductor- 3x15
Aductor- 3x15
Seated Calf press- 6x10

-Luke

Variations

Things have been really pressing forward and I am really loving the variations in my current routine.  Today I was able to make it in a little early and here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

Pulldowns- 1x10 / 3x8
BB Rows (With chains)- 1x10 / 1x8 / 1x6 / 1x10
Seated NG Row- 4x10
Hammerstrength Pullovers- 4x10

-Luke

Vlog #5 // Motivation



Offseason Quads on October 8,2011

Had a great one and here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

Smithmachine Military Press- 1x12@225 / 1x10@275 / 1x6@295
Seated DB Lateral raise- 1x10@65's / 1x10@70's / 1x8@75's
Reverse Flyes- 2x10 / 2x8
Cable Upright row- 4x10
DB Shrugs- 4x10@140's

-Luke

Into to high rep!

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

Hybrid Sumo Deadlifts- 1x10@495 / 1x5@585 / 1x20@405
Leg curls- 4x8
Abductor- 3x15
Aductor- 3x15

Standing calf press- 4x8
Seated Single leg calf- 3x12

-Luke

Dumbbell stacking and some chest

House projects always take longer than expected, especially when your trying to live in the same place.  Right now Tara and I are in the middle of remodeling our kitchen and we are just finishing our the tiling.  Things are finally coming together and we were able make some time this afternoon and head into the gym.  Here's how it went......

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups- 1x12(BW) / 1x8(+55) / 1x6(+55) / 1x8(BW)
DB Rows- 1x10@200lbs / 2x8@210lbs
NG Pulldowns- 4x8
Stiffarm Pulldowns- 4x10

-Luke

Different approach

Today Alex and I took a different approach with our Rack Deads.  We pulled at mid shin with conventional stance and used green bands.  I'm not sure what the resistance equaled to at the top, so I didn't really keep track of the weight, but I was toast at the end.  This was a first time using bands and I am really excited to give these a try again.  Here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Rack Deadlifts with Bands- 1x8 / 1x6 / 1x8
Leg curls- 3x10 / 1x8
Abductor- 3x15
Aductor- 3x15
Glute Kickback- 2x12

Seated Calf press- 5x10

-Luke

Bands and Chains

Lately I have been lifting with my friend Alex who has large background primarily focusing on Powerlifting.  So far we have been training with a little higher volume and variation for our routine, but now we are going to start mixing things up by throwing in the use of bands and chains into our program while using more of a pyramid scheme.  I'm really excited to see where this takes us and I have no doubt each session will be a blast with all out intensity!  Sometimes it's great to just mix things up. 

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

BB Incline Bench- 1x12@275 / 1x5+1@315 / 1x5@315*1x10@225
Hammerstrength Flat press- 3x8 / 1x10
Machine Flyes- 2x10 / 2x12

Hanging Leg raise- 4x10
Cable Crunch- 4x10

-Luke

Intensity!

Everyone I know brings a slightly different form of intensity to the gym.  Some are vocal and some keep to them self, but as long as your putting your effort towards the weights it doesn't really matter.  I am the type of person who doesn't say much.  I spend most of my time between sets thinking and visualizing my next set.  If you can't do in mentally then you will never accomplish it physically.  This past week I was able to meet up with Ty Goodrich and Alex Reynolds for an awesome Deadlift session.  We set up a few bars and did some work!  Each of us use a different technique to get psyched for a set, but we all have the same outcome!  Outwork our last set!!

Had a great one and here's how it went down.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups(BW)- 5x10 (slow)
Seated Cable Row- 5x10
Single Arm BB Row- 3x8
Hammerstrength Pullover (Reverse Grip)- 3x10

-Luke

Positivity

September is rolling right along and summer just seems to be hanging around.  To me this is one of my favorite times of the year with the cool mornings and hot days!  It makes for some great energy headed into the gym and really keeps the positivity high.  This is one area that is really important to me.  In a sport that is filled with so many subjective comments, it is more important than ever to keep a positive attitude towards yourself and especially towards others.  We all share a common goal with so many different paths that lead to the same destination, so who are we to judge the route that someone takes.  As long as you enjoy what you are doing and are making progress there will always be someone who might not approve of your approach.  Just find what works for you and keep pushing forward! 
  
One thing I try to do every so often during my workouts is something to really push my limits.  This week I tried some high rep sets with Barbell curls.  I was able to set another best and made another goal for later, here's how they went...

Today Back was on the list.  I had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldown- 2x10 / 1x8 / 1x6
RG Deficit BB Row- 2x10@315 / 2x8@315
Freemotion High Row- 4x8
Hammerstrength Pullover- 4x10

-Luke

Consistency

Things have been going great lately and right now and my lifting focus has been on a rotation of Squats and SLDL.  I really enjoy this layout because I am able to place more of an emphasis on some of my other favorite lifts and it doesn't hinder my progress.  My split is still pretty much the same with 1-2 off days per week that float around depending on how I am feeling at the time.  This split also really helps with consistency by keeping each workout slightly different so things don't get stale and I start each day looking forward to my next workout.  If your consistent and having fun with it the progress will come over time.

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 1x10 / 2x8
T-Bar Row- 2x8 / 1x10*10
Neutral Grip Cable Row- 3x8
Rope Pulldowns- 3x8
Hammerstrength Pullovers- 3x8

-Luke

Back at "The Gym"

Summer has flown by and September is almost here!  Work is pretty much back to normal now, so Tara and I were able to get out of town this weekend.   We didn't make a long trip, just over to Ellensburg to visit some family for a few days.  I am actually pretty fortunate while traveling to have access to a few gyms, but I always love going back to my old stomping grounds to see if I have made any improvements.  Well, that and I am pretty much the only one in the gym!

Had a great one and here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups- 1x12(BW) / 1x7(+45) / 1x6(+45) / 1x10(Slow BW)
BB Rows- 1x15@315 / 3x12@365
Hammerstrength Iso Row- 2x12 / 1x10
NG Pulldown- 3x10
Stiffarm pulldown- 3x10

-Luke

Keep the change!

I am a firm believer in variation and one thing I try to focus on is constant change in my workout routine.  Each workout I try different rep ranges to make sure I cover all areas of strength and endurance and to keep things interesting.  I tend to favor the 8-12 rep range, but the key is to leave no stone unturned, because no one really knows how your body will respond until you try it. 

Here is a video of my deadlift session last week where I worked up to a peak set of 18@455lbs.

Keep the change frequent and the progress will come with time.  Today I had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Hybrid Sumo Deadlifts- 1x12@405 (Slow) / 1x10@495 / 3x8@495
Leg curls- 4x8
Reverse Hypers- 4x10
Aductor- 3x15
Abductor- 3x15

Standing Calf- 4x10
Single leg Seated Calf- 4x8

-Luke